Apparatus for compressing air and storing the same



(N0 ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0. LEAVITT.

APPARATUS FOR GOMPRESSING AIR AND STORING THE SAME.

No. 320,482. Patented June 23, 1885.

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(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet c. LEAVITT. APPARATUS FOR COMPRESMNG AIR ANDSTQRING THE SAME. No. 320,482. Patented June 23, 1885.

fiwarotar Wail Less 65-- I %%/MM Mfi n, PUERS, Phowuma hm, Washington,O'C- Uivrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LEAVITT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING AIR AND STORING THE SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 32OA82, dated .l'une23, 1885.

Application filed November 24, 1884.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES LEAVITT, of Gleveland,0uyal1oga county, andState of Ohio, have invented a certain improved apparatus for thestorage of air and compressing the same in an arrangement of tanks orchambers having an open communication one with the other, of which thefollowing isa specification.

The power for compressing the air in tanks, or its equivalent, isobtained from a wind mill, and the compressed air stored in said tanksis conducted therefrom to an engine for operating it.

A detailed description of the construction U of the apparatus and theoperation thereof are as follows, reference .being had to the annexeddrawings, making a part of this specification.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig.2 is a planview of a detached portion thereof. Fig. 3 is a detached section.

Like letters designate like parts in the drawlugs.

In Fig. 1, A, B, and 0 represent a series of tanks or chambers. Threeonly are shown, but which may be more or less, and of any desirableholding capacity, and hermetical. The several tanks are connected toeach other by pipes B 13, provided with a valve-chamber, O, in each ofwhich is a valve, a. A detached enlarged View of said chamber and valveis seen in Fig. 3. It is not essential that the valve should be like theone shown in the drawings; but that style of valve is preferred.

D is an air-pipe extending from an airpump, E, to the several tanks withwhich the pipe is in communication by side pipes provided withpiston-valves constructed and for operation as follows:

In connection with the branch pipe F of said air-pipe D is arranged (ina transverse horizontal relation thereto) a cylinder, G, in which isfitted, so as to work air-tight therein, a piston-valve, H, to which isattached a rod, I; also to said pipe, and in open relation therewith isconnected a cylinder, J, having therein fitted a piston-valve, K, towhich is attached a rod, L, extending therefrom to a standard or frame,M, in which it is supported and free to slide. The two rods I and (Nomodel.)

L are connected to each other by a link, N, as shown in the drawings.

The pipe D is in communication with the tank 13 by a branch pipe, 0, towhich is connected a cylinder, I, having therein apistonvalve, Q,connected to the valve H by the rod I, above alluded to.

R is also a cylinder,with a valve, S, similar to the valves H and Q.

To the said pipe 0 is also connected a cylinder, T, with a valve, II,therein, similar to the valve K, before described.

To the valve U is attached a rod, V, extending therefrom to the standardor frame D, in which it is supported and slides. The rod V is connectedto the rod E of the valve S by a link, F.

The tank A is also in communication with the air-pipe D by a side pipe,G, provided with a cylinder, H, and valve I. Said valve is similar tothe valve Q, and is connected to the valve S by the rod E. Should therebe more tanks than the number herein specified and shown in thedrawings, the air-pipe D must necessarily be extended accordingly andits connection with the additional tanks be made by simply duplicatingthe connections above described as connecting the pipe with the threetanks before described.

Theair-pump E, before alluded to, is or may be, like those in ordinaryuse, a machine too well known to require a description in this place,and with which the pipe D is connected as aforesaid.

Power for working the pump is obtained preferably from the windmill J,to which the pump is connected by the rod K or otherwise. For thepurpose specified the windmill may be any one of the approved kind inpublic use, and therefore needs no special description in thisconnection.

The operation of the apparatus is substantially as follows: Let it besupposed that the tanks have not any compressed air therein. In thiscondition the valves 1 and Q are closed against the tanks A B, and thevalve H is open to the tank 0, as seen in Fig. 2. The airpump being nowoperated pumps the air into the tank O,and air continues to beforcedtherein until a pressure of one hundred to one hundred and twenty ormore pounds is obtained to the square inch. The valve H is then closedby the weight M, attached to the rod L of the valve K. Said weight is soadjusted as to resist a pressure up to, say, one hundred and twentypounds. WVhen this pressure is obtained in the tank,the gravity of theweightis overcome by the pressure of the air on the valve K, therebyforcing it in the direction of the arrow. This movement of the valve Ktakes with it the valve H by its connection with the valve K, therespective valve rods L and I being attached to each other by the linkN. As the valve H moves back, the opening or port 1) passes beyond thebore of the side pipe, F, until the blank of the valve covers said bore,thereby shutting off a further admittance of air into the storage-tankO. This movement and closing of the valve H does at the same time openthe valve Q by its being connected therewith by the red I, which rodpushes the valve Q so far as to bring the port 0 of the valve in openrelation with the bore of the side pipe, 0, and the port 601" the valveS. This movement of the valves prevents the air from passing into thestorage-tank O, and permits it to pass into the tank B, which, whencharged with, say, one hundred and twenty pounds of air-pressure, as wasthe tank O,then overcomes the gravity of the gageweight L, Fig. l, bythe superior pressure of the air upon the valve U, which pushes saidvalve in the direction of the arrow, taking with it the valveS by itsconnection therewith,as the respective valve-rods are attached to eachother by the link V.

The above said action of the valves S and U prevents a further passageof air into the tank B, as in the former instance relating to the tankC. During the action of the valves S and U, the valve S pushes back thevalve I by its connection therewith by the rod E. The valve 1 moves farenough to bring the port at of the valve in open relation with the boreof the side pipe, G, thereby allowing the air from the pipe D to passinto the tank A, in which tank, when charged with the full pressure ofair, the air may be confined therein by a stop-cock in the side pipe.'It will be obvious from the above that the charging of the severaltanks with compressed air is done automatically, and that the pressureof the stored air may be more or less as the weights L and M aregraduated for that purpose by additions to or taking therefrom, as thenature of the case may require.

It will be apparent that any number of storage tanks or cylinders may beused and charged with compressed air by simply. duplicating the valvesas the number of tanks may require.

To the last tank filled may be attached a safety valve to allow theexcess of air above one hundred and twenty pounds or more to escape, sothat the mill may be kept running continuously without personalattention or danger of explosion from undue pressure. The practical useof the air stored, as above described, is made by conducting it to theairengine P, which for that purpose may be any one of those known to thepublic, or such modification thereof as may be required for itspractical connection with this apparatus, and to be used when thewindmill is inoperative for the want of air to drive it. The pneumaticengine P, Fig. 1, when first started receives its air from the tankC-that is to say, the first one of the whole number of tanks that may beused. As the air commences to be reduced in tank 0, the valves coin thepipes B open, thereby allowing the air to flow fr ely from one tank tothe other and into the tank U, while the air-pump operated by thewindmill continues to discharge air into the tank A, which may be thelast one of aseries of tanks, and thereby keep up the normal pressure ofair in the tanks. WVhen the pressure falls below one hundred and twentypounds, the safetyvalve will close and the weight M will drop and openthe valve H of the tank 0, which will then receive the full force of theair-pump. Said tank 0 will be also re-enforced by the pressure of airfrom all the other tanks, as the valves ct will open when the pressurein a tankthat is, on the opening side ofthe valve falls below thepressure of air in the tank on the closing port side of the valve,thereby giving to the engine the full force of compressed air in thetanks, and also the direct force of air from the pump.

The engine will run with the same speed and power whether the pressurebe either sixty or one hundred and twenty pounds in the tanks, as theengine-governor will control the speed. Under a low pressure of air alarge volume is needed to compensate for the lack of compression in thetanks, while its effective force upon the engine will be the same-thatis to say, the storage of air in the tanks under a pressure of onehundred and twenty pounds (more or less) is not for the purpose ofobtaining that sum of pressure to run the engine, for the engine may notrequire more than one-fourth or one-halfof that force to run it; butwhatever the pressure may be needed to run the engine less the onehundred and twenty pounds is stored in the tanks to be utilized for thepurpose specified.

I desire it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the exactconstruction and arrangement of the storage tanks or chambers beforedescribed, as the same may be varied in shape and number; nor do Iconfine myself to the form or shape of .the valves, as herein shown anddescribed, as other valves may be used, and instead of valves stop-cocksmay be employed and operated in same way as the piston-valves withoutchanging the es sential features of my invention, which consists of anumber of hermetieally-constructed tanks or cylinders in which air iscompressed, and using for the compression of the air a windmill foroperating the air-pump in connection with the several tanks by anair-pipe provided with valves working automatically for the admission ofair into the storage-tanks. In using a windmill a cheap power isemployed for storing the air, thereby accumulating a force which may beheld in reserve and utilized when there is not air-current to operatethe windmill.

What I claim as my improvement, and dcsire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In an apparatus for compressing and storing air, an arrangement ofhermetically-constructed tanks connected to each other by tubularconnections, each of which is provided with a valve in combinationtherewith, counter-weights L M, air-pump put in communication with saidstorage-tanks, by an airpipe, D, and branch pipes, substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the air-pipc D, branch pipe F, and storage-tankO, of valves H and K, counter-weight M, arranged to co- CHARLES LEAVITT.

Witnesses:

W. H. BURRIDGE, J. H. BURRIDGE.

